Defiance Rising

SEVENTEEN

  I can hear Bastien panting heavily behind me as he leans into the steep incline that will lead us to ground level. I’m used to this blind trek, but today I find my pace a bit sluggish, my mind riddled with a whirlwind of thoughts.

  “Are you always this intense when you leave home?”

  “No,” I call back over my shoulder as I lead us around a bend and lean forward to dig into the sharp slope. We’re almost there. I can see the light up ahead. “I’m like this when I’m in the caves. I don’t like tight spaces.”

  “Or bickering among friends?”

  I readjust my pack, tugging on the straps so that they fall more evenly over my shoulders. “That too.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” His boots slap against the stone as he rushes to keep pace with me.

  I grit my teeth and prepare myself for the worst. “Do I have a choice?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Go on then.” The instant I step into the sunlight I feel as if a heavy weight has lifted from my shoulders. I lift my face and breathe deep the familiar scent of the forest──decaying leaves, dirt and pine.

  Bastien waits until I stop soaking in my daily dose of vitamin D before speaking. “What’s with you and Eamon? You guys seem rather intense.”

  I snort and turn my face into the wind. The air has a bite to it this morning, but the temperature has already begun to rise above freezing. Patches of blue sky peek through sagging gray clouds overhead, but there is a menacing storm system on the horizon. “Looks like we might catch a brief break in the weather. We should try to cover as much ground as we can while it’s nice.”

  I turn before Bastien can protest and pound my steps into the mountain slope with a ferocity that slowly eases the burden in my mind. He keeps pace with me, never complaining or asking for a break. I plunge deeper into the woods, annoyed that Bastien’s watchful eye lands on me frequently over the next couple of hours. When he realizes that his stares aren’t getting the expected response, he releases an obnoxiously loud sigh. Annoyed, I whip around and slam into his broad chest.

  Pushing off him to give myself some much needed personal space, I cross my arms over my chest. “You might as well spill it. I know you’ve been dying to say something since we left the cave.”

  I slip my pack off my back and sink down onto a fallen tree. The dampness of the bark seeps through my pants and onto my skin. I dig into my bag and pull out a small leather pouch. Tugging it open with my teeth, I close my eyes as the refreshing water flows down my parched throat. We’ve been going hard for well over two hours. Maybe it was a good idea to pause for a moment.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Oh, come on. You’ve been giving me that look all morning.”

  Bastien scratches his stubbled chin. “Just trying to figure you out is all.”

  I toss him the leather pouch and settle back into the crook of the tree branches that rise toward the sky, like fingers bent with age. It’s not exactly comfortable but it will do for now. Comfort in the forest is relative.

  I watch as Bastien drinks deep from the pouch. “I’m not that complicated, you know.”

  “No?” He leans over to hand me the canteen back. “Then why is it you act like you’re running away from your friends?”

  “It’s not them.” I drop my gaze and fumble with the edge of my frayed sweater. “It’s me. I don’t want them to find out that I’m the reason they’ve become freaks.”

  Bastien steps up to a tree, slides down the trunk and then throws out his legs before him. “We aren’t freaks, Illyria, and it’s not your fault.”

  I roll my eyes at him.

  “Ok, well maybe you did have something to do with it, but it’s not like you did it on purpose. You can’t control this…whatever it is.”

  “Exactly.” I rip off a chunk of bark and hurl it into the underbrush, wishing I had something far more substantial to throw. “I’m dangerous. We’ve already established that, but what if I’ve endangered my friends too? I can’t bear the thought of them getting hurt.”

  I lean my head back and close my eyes. I can hear him shift by the rustling of leaves, but I don’t open my eyes. It feels good to be consumed by darkness. “It’s more than that, isn’t it?”

  A groan escapes from my lips and I dig my fists into my eyes, fighting to block out my thoughts. “Have you ever thought you were going crazy?”

  His chuckle sends warmth flooding down to my toes. The emotions I feel when I’m around him are both foreign and surprisingly pleasing. “Can’t say that I have. Why do you ask?”

  Slowly, I lower my hands and focus on him. He rolls his shoulders, rubbing out his tired muscles. When he notices my direct gaze, he lets his hand fall free.

  “I hear things,” I say. “Whispers in my mind.”

  His brow furrows as he sinks back against the tree to watch me. “What do they say?”

  A chill creeps down my spine. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell. They are usually a jumble in my mind, but sometimes, late at night I can hear them when I’m trying to sleep.”

  “Any other time?”

  I tuck my legs up into my chest and rest my cheek against my knee. “I hear them when I’m about to lose control. They cheer for me.”

  A slight tremble in my fingers betrays me and doesn’t get past Bastien’s watchful gaze. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

  I don’t trust my voice so I nod. A single tear slips down my cheek and falls to the ground below. It’s mortifying but I can’t hold up a cool façade any more.

  Bastien leaps to his feet and kneels beside me. I watch him as he wavers between reaching out to comfort me and holding back. I laugh and wipe my cheek. “I’m not going to bite.”

  “I have my doubts about that.” His fingers twine through mine and gently pull me down off the log. I sink into his embrace, comforted as he wraps his arms firmly around my back and pulls my head down onto his chest. The steady thrumming of his heart is calming.

  “How is it that you can be so thoughtful one minute and so completely infuriating the next?” I whisper, curling my fingers around the soft fabric of his borrowed shirt.

  I feel his smile against the crown of my head. “It’s a gift.”

  I close my eyes and focus on the feel of his hands as he runs his fingers over my hair, soothing me like a little child just woken from a terrible nightmare. “I don’t normally cry like this.”

  “One tear hardly counts in my books.”

  “Are you keeping track?”

  He is silent for a moment. My head rises and falls with his chest. “I kinda like it.”

  I lift my head to stare up into his eyes. They are darker than usual, no longer the flickering blue of a flame. “Like what?”

  “Keeping track of you.” His breath unsettles the flyaway strands of hair across my face. I blink, shocked by the tender caress of his words.

  “Is that a joke?” I whisper.

  His hands tighten around my back. “Afraid not, Princess.”

  I’m suddenly all too aware of how close he is, how full his lips are and how tight his embrace has become. I place my hand on his chest. “Your heart─”

  He leans in and brushes his lips against mine, his touch light and gentle. He reaches up to cup my cheek, his eyes wide and searching as he pulls back. My lower lip tingles as I run my fingertip across it, pausing to process his first touch.

  “Are you ok?”

  I nod, although my head is swimming at his nearness. The scent of his skin turns my thoughts into chaos. Without stopping to consider the consequences, I wrap my hand around his neck and crush my lips against his. My lips muffle his cry of surprise as I curl my fingers around the soft hair that drapes down to his neck.

  As his hands curve around my back, I raise up into him, locking my hands together around his neck. The heat of his body pressed against mine is exciting, the movement of his lips sinfully int
oxicating.

  My breath comes fast and hard as I lean in closer, my knees digging into the dirt beside his thighs. I let my head fall to the side and Bastien’s lips trace a line down my jaw, his fingers digging into my sides. The irrational urge to laugh bubbles up within me as I realize I’ve never done anything so completely reckless before.

  I’ve gone head-to-head with a wolf while hunting, dove off the Cascades to satisfy a teenage dare and entered the forbidden City alone, but I’ve never let a guy get this close. If I had known kissing would be this intense, I would have done it a lot sooner.

  I lean into Bastien, pressing him back to the ground. He goes willingly, his eyes searching mine as I lean down, hovering less than an inch over his lips. His fingers pull at my waist, silently begging me, but I smile and shake my head. He groans, arching up to meet my lips and I give in to his need.

  The soil under my hands begins to shift as small tremors ripple out from me. There are no barriers between us, no sarcastic cracks or awkward banter. I realize that I want this, him, more than I want air to breathe. I feel rooted in place, as if my very existence was meant to bring us here, to this very moment.

  Bastien pushes me up and rolls me onto my back, placing himself beside me. The coolness of the ground eases the scorching heat bearing down on me from above. Each time his fingers caress my bare skin, I feel drawn into him.

  His chiseled body presses against the length of mine while his arm cradles my head. His lips leave a slow, blazing trail down my neck. I lean my head back to allow him access to the hollow of my throat and a shiver of pleasure washes over me as his breath tickles my delicate skin.

  I react to every touch, every breath, and every pounding heartbeat. The smallest touch is torture and yet more satisfying than I could have ever imagined. I open my eyes and watch the trees tremble overhead as I dig my fingers deep into the dirt.

  I feel alive, connected not only with Bastien but the world around me──the trees, the soil, the earth. Energy courses through my body, making my skin tingle with overwhelming sensitivity.

  Bastien chuckles when I gasp, his lips pressing against the tender flesh just behind my ear. A thousand tiny goosebumps spread along my skin as he shifts to caress just above my waistline, moving slowly around from my back to my stomach.

  He dips his head, softly tugging on my bottom lip with his teeth before pulling back. He teases me, taunts me.

  The trees groan as a perfect, circular crater forms around us, revealing the maze of roots that burrow deep into the ground. The fallen tree I occupied only a few moments before is caught up on the outside of the sinkhole and rolls into a nearby tree, startling me. Reality comes crashing back in with the thunderous boom.

  I push against Bastien’s chest, frantic to be free of his embrace. He rolls onto his side, his brow furrowed with confusion at my sudden panic. “What’s wrong?”

  “This…this is wrong!” I scramble out from under him, clawing my way to a tree a few feet away. I cling to it, waiting for my heart to stop racing as I try to slow my breathing. The taste and feel of Bastien lingers on my skin.

  “Are you ok?” He asks.

  Bastien makes no move to come closer and I’m grateful for it. My mind screams to run, to flee this utterly embarrassing debacle but another part, one that I fear might just be the stronger side, begs me to sink back into his embrace.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper without turning. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  I expect him to break out with some witty comment that will embarrass me further, but instead, he remains silent. His silence actually unnerves me more than sarcasm would have. I can’t help but wonder if he is mad at me for stopping or for starting this in the first place.

  I slowly turn, never dreaming to see such tenderness from him. His gaze is kind, his body relaxed and completely undemanding.

  “Are you ok?” He asks again, softer this time. So soft that it makes my heart melt.

  I tuck my legs into my chest and stare at him, unsure of how to answer. Although I may be physically ok, I am an emotional wreck. I don’t know what I was thinking to kiss him like that.

  “I’ll be fine. I just…I think we should just keep this between us for now.”

  His nod of agreement is immediate. “Of course.”

  “I just…” I close my mouth and try to think of the right thing to say, but know I’m about to fail miserably. “I’ve never been good with guys. I’m not really sure what to say right now.”

  Bastien’s hair blows across his forehead and I’m gripped by his sheer, rugged beauty. My gaze lingers on the scar that peeks out around his dark stubble and I feel a slight pinch in my gut.

  I know nothing about him. Nothing, beyond the fact that he has been willing to risk his life for me twice. He gave unselfishly of his provisions to see to it that I could survive. He’s shown compassion to a complete stranger when it wasn’t in his best interest to do so.

  He brushes his hair back out of his eyes and smiles. “You don’t have to say anything, Princess. Besides, I kinda like you like this.”

  “Silent?”

  He leans in close. “Speechless.”

  I watch him with growing curiosity. “Why aren’t you afraid of me? You saw what I did to those Squaddies at the factory and it barely phased you. Now I tell you I’m hearing voices in my head and practically jump you and you don’t even bat an eye.”

  Bastien shrugs and leans back, shifting his legs. “Maybe I like a little danger.”

  I laugh, slowly coming down from my high. I’m grateful that our conversation has veered into more neutral waters. “Well that’s obvious, but I think it’s more than that.”

  The slight narrowing of his eyes tells me I’ve hit a bit too close to home for comfort. “Contrary to what you might think about me, I am a gentleman. I always keep my word, but I’m also a believer in forces in this world that go beyond our understanding.”

  “Like God?”

  His eyebrow rises. “Who told you about God?”

  “My mother. She said there were many, or just one, depending on who you spoke to.”

  Bastien nods. “That’s about right. But I’m not talking about an all-powerful being. I’m talking about fate, destiny, the forces that drive us to be who we are.”

  “And what drives you?”

  “Adventure.” He grins. “Always searching for the unknown.”

  “And you view me as a puzzle to solve?”

  He shrugs. “You are a mystery to me, that’s for sure, but what I’m searching for is the source. Where did your abilities come from? How did you create that pulse that changed our DNA?”

  I crinkle my nose, thinking back through the years of boring lectures I was forced to endure in the Temple as a child. “That’s what we are made of, right?”

  “Yes,” he affirms. “It’s the very fibers of our being. Somehow, I’m guessing you altered us. I, for one, would love to know how you pulled that off.”

  I chew on my lip as my index finger carves a swirled path through the dirt. The soil is damp and cold to the touch. It won’t be long before the land is encased in ice, dormant for another season.

  “There’s something I think I should tell you.” I scrape at the dirt embedded under my fingernails as I tell Bastien about my brief conversation with Kyan the night we were attacked by Commander Drakon’s men. I can’t bring myself to look at him, to see his reaction.

  He is silent when I finish. “I think we should try to find this guy.”

  “We aren’t out here for a man hunt.”

  “No, of course not. We’re still going to spy on the Grounders, but I don’t think it would hurt to look around while we are there.”

  A gust of wind sends my hair into a tangle whirlwind about my face. I hold it back, fighting to restrain it, but it’s a useless endeavor. Bastien offers me a stick he’s been whittling down in his fingers, peeling the bark bac
k from the flesh. “Thought you might need this.”

  “How observant.” I can feel my defenses rising.

  I pull back as much of my hair as I can in my fist and wind it into a haphazard bun, shoving the stick straight through the middle.

  “I’m not saying we do anything reckless, Illyria. I’m just saying we take a look.”

  I blink, stunned. “Do you realize you just called me Illyria?”

  Bastien strips a layer of damp bark from another stick, the same thickness and length as the one that’s doing a pathetic job of holding my crazy hair in place. “Must have slipped.”

  His slip doesn’t feel all that accidental though, not after the heated moment we shared. Is it a coincidence that he spoke my name for the first time right after he confessed he has feelings for me? I highly doubt it.

  I accept the second stick and spear it through my drooping hair. I hesitantly thank him for his gift. “You ready to move out? Looks like that storm’s moving in fast.”

  Raising my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, I realize with a start that, while we’ve been chatting, the dark wall of clouds has indeed gained ground on us. “We don’t want to be caught out in the open when that thing decides to dump it’s load.”

  Bastien offers me a hand up. I rise and brush moss and leaves from my backside. “Wouldn’t want to give you another reason to stare at my butt.” I joke.

  “Who said I need a reason?” He snatches my pack off the ground and holds it out to me. “How far do you think we are from the outskirts of the City?”

  I rise up onto my tiptoes and peer over the trees that spread out in the valley below, coming to an abrupt halt at the City perimeter. “Two hours, give or take. It’s pretty rough terrain.”

  “Well then I guess you’d better try to keep up.” He takes off at a slight jog.

  The winds begin to bend the treetops less than fifteen minutes after we set off again. Each step becomes arduous as we burrow through the gale. I’ve never felt the effects of a hurricane before but I have read about them. About how the storm can topple small shelters and uproot hundred-year-old trees and the tidal surge that can flood an entire city. As the gust lashes against my face, I wonder if the swirling clouds above might not be a cousin to a hurricane.

  “What’s going on?” I shout to Bastien, who has moved alongside me, twining his fingers through mine to help me remain upright.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen clouds like that before.”

  The muscles in Bastien’s arms pull taut as he yanks me behind a thick tree. He presses me against the trunk, sheltering me with his body as he searches the sky. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “What doesn’t?” I shout to be overheard by the roar that’s emanating from the valley below. The forest grows dark as the clouds consume the entire sky, blocking out the bright sunshine overhead.

  “I think it’s a─” he cuts off, his eyes widening with fright as the sound of splintering wood rises among the deafening roaring.

  My stomach clenches with fear as I watch trees ripped from the earth and tossed into the air, spun round and round the exterior or a monstrous vortex. “A tornado!”

  Bastien’s hard gaze focuses on me. “Are you doing this?”

  I am numb from head to foot with fear. “Not this time.”

  His jaw clenches and when he glances back over his shoulder, his face drains of color. The half-mile wide tornado is clearing a path through the forest, straight toward us. “Run!”

  I don’t have to be told twice. My thoughts become frenzied as we scramble back up the incline, digging our boots into the earth as we fight to resist the strength of the whirlwind. The sticks in my hair yank free, ripping strands of hair from my scalp, but I hardly notice the pain.

  “Run faster!”

  “I’m trying.” I throw my weight forward to counteract the pull at my back.

  The harder I try to run, the more my feet slip. Bastien’s hands land on my backside and push me up the hill. Any other time I’d take his hands off at the wrists for touching me, but right now I’m grateful for the extra help.

  I grab onto tree branches, dragging myself the last fifteen feet up the embankment. Loose soil shifts underfoot, threatening to spill me to my knees, but Bastien’s solid strength refuses to let me fall.

  The roar behind us grows, bellowing so loudly I can’t hear Bastien’s shout right next to my ear. I turn to look at him, watching as his lips frantically move but I hear nothing. He yanks on my arm, and I stumble after him, blinded by the swirling debris surrounding us. Leaves, sticks and brambles rise into the air, pelting us with brutal accuracy.

  It’s almost as if this storm has one focus──us.

  You can’t outrun it, a voice calls.

  I pull upright, shocked by the sudden invasion of my mind. I know this voice, deep but colored with the music of wind chimes blowing in the breeze. Kyan?

  You have to fight back, Illyria. It’s your only chance.

  “What’s going on?” Bastien screams into my ear. I can see his terror as his gaze moves past my face to lock onto the swirling monster less than a mile away. I don’t have to look to know that it has changed course, following our retreat.

  How can I fight a tornado? It’s a part of nature!

  Is the sky green? Is there any hail to go along with it?

  I look overhead and see dark clouds, a swirl of gray and obsidian, but no hint of green. There is no rain, no hail, no sign of lightning.

  How is this possible? I ask silently.

  Bastien shifts beside me, anxious to move as the whirlwind draws closer. The pressure of his fingers against my arm grows as I linger.

  Just as you made the waterspout, someone else is controlling this tornado. It’s a trap.

  I suck in a breath. Bastien’s gaze refocuses on me. “What?”

  “It’s a trap.”

  His eyes glaze over, confusion taking hold until he watches the tornado shift again, bearing straight down on us. His lips peel back with anger. “What do we do?”

  I want to shrug, to express my own complete lack of certainty but instead I close my eyes. “I’m speaking with Kyan.”

  “Oh great! That makes me feel much better.”

  “Shh!”

  Kyan? What do I do?

  Fight!